@Indy, be curious on your comments on the OL as well, it all starts and ends here for next year no matter who is the QB or play caller.
Years ago, @Cowboy76 and myself shared an article in Phil Steele's magazine on this site that had these statisticians that ran regression analysis on every possible stat to determine, the single best predictor of a college team's W/L record in the pre-season and it was cumulative returning offensive line starts. They were surprised, but the fact is, the game is won at the LOS. Thinking about you 76!!
Before I say much more, let me be clear that I want Dickey out the door yesterday. With all the negativity, let's try to look at the roster and see what needs to be fixed, regardless of who is the coach. Curing the OL problems is the biggest issue facing the Cowboys.
Offensive depth chart beg of year:
LT 76 Caleb Etienne (6-7; 325; RJr.; New Orleans, LA) 51 Austin Kawecki (6-5; 265; Fr.; Frisco, TX)
LG 68 Taylor Miterko (6-6; 295; RJr.; Carlsbad, NM) 77 Tyrone Webber (6-3; 285; Jr.; St. Catharine’s, ON, Can.)
C 74 Preston Wilson (6-5; 295; RJr.; Argyle, TX) 66 Joe Michalski (6-4; 300; RJr.; Kansas City, KS)
RG 70 Hunter Woodard (6-5; 300; RSr.; Tuscola, IL) 75 Eli Russ (6-4; 290; RSo.; Ardmore, OK)
RT 61 Jake Springfield (6-5; 310; RJr.; Flower Mound, TX) 73 Jason Brooks Jr. (6-4; 295; RSo.; Houston, TX)
Lost for the season due to injury: Cole Birmingham (RG)
Lost starts due to injury: Jake Springfield, Hunter Woodward, Preston Wilson, Eli Russ (started at center against TCU and did not finish the game)
Over arching concerns that limited production:
Cowboy fans are so mad right now that they do not want to hear about injuries, but it played a factor. How much depends on probably how upset or not you are with the performance of the OL. We know 80% of the starting OL was either out or injured for all or parts of the year. I was on an earlier rant this year, that this is the 3rd consecutive year of major OL injuries and it is unacceptable, I still believe we have to take a closer look at this.
K-State this year never lost one single OL start from their opening day roster. That OL developed cohesion as the year progressed and by the end of the year they were averaging 40 a game. Great coach or bad coach, your OL is the ONE unit that has to play together as a fist and it takes reps together to mold a unit. You need a center that knows what he is doing and makes the right calls and can keep pressure off the QB right up the gut, and you need the OL to recognize blitzes and who is picking up a guy or passing them off. Many seem to think it is just bad luck, I am no longer certain of that, but we do know we have to figure out the health of our OL. We could bring in the best studs from G5, have them start 5 games in a row and become a good unit, and then if we lose 80% or more of them to all or partial games for the year the OL will not look the same. Only the Bluebloods have that kind of depth and they would see a drop off. We have to get healthy.
I have been saying for 2 years that the zone blocking scheme is total crap and we needed to go to gap blocking and we need to see G and GT traps and more guys pulling, Last night Ohio State pulled both their LT and LG to the right side of the LOS, those LB's are trained to follow those players pulling because it is suppose to take you to the ball. Ohio State influenced the entire defense to the right side of LOS and they ran it to the left side and there was no one in the area to make the tackle on the RB and they got a good gain, It was a beautiful play. We can't run that play. Further more with no trap game, the defensive line OSU faces can play vertically and can play see ball, go to ball. They don't have to worry about playing with their peripheral vision to see the trap and avoid being blind sided (crushed if they don't see it coming), and even if they do, to have to play horizontally and twist and take on a lineman that is running and has more leverage. It is a great way to put some aggression in to your OL.
Zone blocking? I don't understand it. The concept is simple, you block the first guy in your zone. That seems ripe for confusion and puts lineman in the position of not always knowing who they have at the snap and playing tentative. The RB literally does not know for sure where the hole will be, other than to look for the cut back lane. GT trap play? RB dang sure knows where the hole should be. Lineman know exactly who to block. Gap blocking? You should know who you have pre-snap. Ball is snapped and it is get off the LOS and get hat on hat, RB knows where the hole should be. Dom was not a see green go to green cut back runner. Warren had great vision and the quicks to run to green on the cut back. If I had to guess, Baylor's blocking schemes will fit Dom much better. This is probably our RB's frustration right now, they have no idea where the cut back lane should be and many times it is non-existent. This is not a Woz issue IMO.
Having a true TE that lines up on the LOS - We need to find in the worst way. Missing out on the LSU TE to WVU was a big blow IMO. We need to be able to put a legit TE to play alongside either the LT or RT and out man the 3 man front and give us an edge game. A true TE would allow a true safety valve, can block, get lost in the wash of the LOS, release and have the easy 6 or 7 yard passes over the middle. OSU can improve the OL with a TE that can hold their own against a DE (certainly with a OT help control them), and is a pass catching threat with the ability for some YAC.
Do we have to recruit a different type of athlete to be able to pull and Gap block? Yes, if our guys are not very athletic. Could Glass possibly do drills to get them better on their feet, better hip swivel to pull, possibly even lose a few pounds to gain some quickness? I would think so but I don't know what we are up against in making a change. Ollie is a bigger back that IMO would better thrive in a Gap blocking scheme where he could plant his foot, hit the hole, blow by the LOS and have the ability to break the tackle of a LB because he is carrying speed behind his pads.
I was relieved to read leading to up to the Bowl game we started to mix it up on our blocking schemes, but it takes more than just individual work, you have to mold a unit. No matter who the OL coach is we have in my opinion some real opportunity here to make improvements.
Look at each position:
LT: Etienne is a weak link. He can play like Tarzan or Jane. Does Dalton Cooper light a fire under Etienne? Can Etienne move to guard and potentially back up both positions? Kawecki looks undersized and needs more time to develop. My prediction is that we upgrade, at a min Etienne will get motivated by some competition. I believe Dalton is an upgrade on the merit of his own play.
LG: I don't know much about either player here, but based on the play of the OL they have not played well. Noah McKinney is transfer coming in and my prediction is they expect him to start at LG. Birmingham has the RG spot nailed down and when healthy I think they felt good about his play.
C: Preston Wilson was coming on, his center snaps were good. From what I have read, he bleeds orange. Michalski blew up the timing of several offensive plays with bad snaps, the play was DOA. I believe the staff feels good about Wilson. They need to develop Michalski and he needs to figure out that dang snap. Losing Wilson was a big blow, you have to be good at the center position.
RG: It has been my impression Birmingham when healthy has been solid at RG. They must like Russ's potential as he has also played center, and from my memory better with the snap than Michalski. Russ is just a RSoph and has played, perhaps thrown in to action before they wanted him to see playing time, particularly the center position.
RT. Jake Springfield - He has been inconsistent. This is perhaps one position we wish we had more competition? Brooks might be that competition, Brooks played well at guard, he has shown potential. Another year with Glass and Brooks very well might be the starter and we see improvement?
You would like to see another portal OL IMO. That said with just health, another year of development, more competition, playing guys in the same position for awhile and learning to play as a unit, we would have more consistency and some depth. Sprinkle in some better coaching and a change in blocking schemes this unit could take a step forward. Anyone's guess by how much.
The injuries are just baffling. LSU started 2 freshman stud OT's this year and they played the whole dang year. K-State goes thru a season with total health in the OL.
In no particular order health, scheme, development, coaching, and players fit for the scheme are the issues OSU faces going in to next year.
Years ago, @Cowboy76 and myself shared an article in Phil Steele's magazine on this site that had these statisticians that ran regression analysis on every possible stat to determine, the single best predictor of a college team's W/L record in the pre-season and it was cumulative returning offensive line starts. They were surprised, but the fact is, the game is won at the LOS. Thinking about you 76!!
Before I say much more, let me be clear that I want Dickey out the door yesterday. With all the negativity, let's try to look at the roster and see what needs to be fixed, regardless of who is the coach. Curing the OL problems is the biggest issue facing the Cowboys.
Offensive depth chart beg of year:
LT 76 Caleb Etienne (6-7; 325; RJr.; New Orleans, LA) 51 Austin Kawecki (6-5; 265; Fr.; Frisco, TX)
LG 68 Taylor Miterko (6-6; 295; RJr.; Carlsbad, NM) 77 Tyrone Webber (6-3; 285; Jr.; St. Catharine’s, ON, Can.)
C 74 Preston Wilson (6-5; 295; RJr.; Argyle, TX) 66 Joe Michalski (6-4; 300; RJr.; Kansas City, KS)
RG 70 Hunter Woodard (6-5; 300; RSr.; Tuscola, IL) 75 Eli Russ (6-4; 290; RSo.; Ardmore, OK)
RT 61 Jake Springfield (6-5; 310; RJr.; Flower Mound, TX) 73 Jason Brooks Jr. (6-4; 295; RSo.; Houston, TX)
Lost for the season due to injury: Cole Birmingham (RG)
Lost starts due to injury: Jake Springfield, Hunter Woodward, Preston Wilson, Eli Russ (started at center against TCU and did not finish the game)
Over arching concerns that limited production:
Cowboy fans are so mad right now that they do not want to hear about injuries, but it played a factor. How much depends on probably how upset or not you are with the performance of the OL. We know 80% of the starting OL was either out or injured for all or parts of the year. I was on an earlier rant this year, that this is the 3rd consecutive year of major OL injuries and it is unacceptable, I still believe we have to take a closer look at this.
K-State this year never lost one single OL start from their opening day roster. That OL developed cohesion as the year progressed and by the end of the year they were averaging 40 a game. Great coach or bad coach, your OL is the ONE unit that has to play together as a fist and it takes reps together to mold a unit. You need a center that knows what he is doing and makes the right calls and can keep pressure off the QB right up the gut, and you need the OL to recognize blitzes and who is picking up a guy or passing them off. Many seem to think it is just bad luck, I am no longer certain of that, but we do know we have to figure out the health of our OL. We could bring in the best studs from G5, have them start 5 games in a row and become a good unit, and then if we lose 80% or more of them to all or partial games for the year the OL will not look the same. Only the Bluebloods have that kind of depth and they would see a drop off. We have to get healthy.
I have been saying for 2 years that the zone blocking scheme is total crap and we needed to go to gap blocking and we need to see G and GT traps and more guys pulling, Last night Ohio State pulled both their LT and LG to the right side of the LOS, those LB's are trained to follow those players pulling because it is suppose to take you to the ball. Ohio State influenced the entire defense to the right side of LOS and they ran it to the left side and there was no one in the area to make the tackle on the RB and they got a good gain, It was a beautiful play. We can't run that play. Further more with no trap game, the defensive line OSU faces can play vertically and can play see ball, go to ball. They don't have to worry about playing with their peripheral vision to see the trap and avoid being blind sided (crushed if they don't see it coming), and even if they do, to have to play horizontally and twist and take on a lineman that is running and has more leverage. It is a great way to put some aggression in to your OL.
Zone blocking? I don't understand it. The concept is simple, you block the first guy in your zone. That seems ripe for confusion and puts lineman in the position of not always knowing who they have at the snap and playing tentative. The RB literally does not know for sure where the hole will be, other than to look for the cut back lane. GT trap play? RB dang sure knows where the hole should be. Lineman know exactly who to block. Gap blocking? You should know who you have pre-snap. Ball is snapped and it is get off the LOS and get hat on hat, RB knows where the hole should be. Dom was not a see green go to green cut back runner. Warren had great vision and the quicks to run to green on the cut back. If I had to guess, Baylor's blocking schemes will fit Dom much better. This is probably our RB's frustration right now, they have no idea where the cut back lane should be and many times it is non-existent. This is not a Woz issue IMO.
Having a true TE that lines up on the LOS - We need to find in the worst way. Missing out on the LSU TE to WVU was a big blow IMO. We need to be able to put a legit TE to play alongside either the LT or RT and out man the 3 man front and give us an edge game. A true TE would allow a true safety valve, can block, get lost in the wash of the LOS, release and have the easy 6 or 7 yard passes over the middle. OSU can improve the OL with a TE that can hold their own against a DE (certainly with a OT help control them), and is a pass catching threat with the ability for some YAC.
Do we have to recruit a different type of athlete to be able to pull and Gap block? Yes, if our guys are not very athletic. Could Glass possibly do drills to get them better on their feet, better hip swivel to pull, possibly even lose a few pounds to gain some quickness? I would think so but I don't know what we are up against in making a change. Ollie is a bigger back that IMO would better thrive in a Gap blocking scheme where he could plant his foot, hit the hole, blow by the LOS and have the ability to break the tackle of a LB because he is carrying speed behind his pads.
I was relieved to read leading to up to the Bowl game we started to mix it up on our blocking schemes, but it takes more than just individual work, you have to mold a unit. No matter who the OL coach is we have in my opinion some real opportunity here to make improvements.
Look at each position:
LT: Etienne is a weak link. He can play like Tarzan or Jane. Does Dalton Cooper light a fire under Etienne? Can Etienne move to guard and potentially back up both positions? Kawecki looks undersized and needs more time to develop. My prediction is that we upgrade, at a min Etienne will get motivated by some competition. I believe Dalton is an upgrade on the merit of his own play.
LG: I don't know much about either player here, but based on the play of the OL they have not played well. Noah McKinney is transfer coming in and my prediction is they expect him to start at LG. Birmingham has the RG spot nailed down and when healthy I think they felt good about his play.
C: Preston Wilson was coming on, his center snaps were good. From what I have read, he bleeds orange. Michalski blew up the timing of several offensive plays with bad snaps, the play was DOA. I believe the staff feels good about Wilson. They need to develop Michalski and he needs to figure out that dang snap. Losing Wilson was a big blow, you have to be good at the center position.
RG: It has been my impression Birmingham when healthy has been solid at RG. They must like Russ's potential as he has also played center, and from my memory better with the snap than Michalski. Russ is just a RSoph and has played, perhaps thrown in to action before they wanted him to see playing time, particularly the center position.
RT. Jake Springfield - He has been inconsistent. This is perhaps one position we wish we had more competition? Brooks might be that competition, Brooks played well at guard, he has shown potential. Another year with Glass and Brooks very well might be the starter and we see improvement?
You would like to see another portal OL IMO. That said with just health, another year of development, more competition, playing guys in the same position for awhile and learning to play as a unit, we would have more consistency and some depth. Sprinkle in some better coaching and a change in blocking schemes this unit could take a step forward. Anyone's guess by how much.
The injuries are just baffling. LSU started 2 freshman stud OT's this year and they played the whole dang year. K-State goes thru a season with total health in the OL.
In no particular order health, scheme, development, coaching, and players fit for the scheme are the issues OSU faces going in to next year.
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